Evaluation of Novel Tools to Facilitate the Detection and Characterization of Leprosy Patients in China

Leprosy is the disabling outcome of chronic infection with Mycobacterium leprae. The disease often evades early detection, particularly now that fewer clinicians are able to confidently diagnose the disease following the integration of leprosy control measures within general health services in many...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:BioMed research international 2014-01, Vol.2014 (2014), p.1-7
Main Authors: Yan, Wen, You, Yuan Gang, Yuan, Lian-Chao, Yuan, You Hua, Zhang, Ying, Duthie, Malcolm S., Li, Huan-Ying
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Antigens, Bacterial - blood
Biomedical research
Child
Child, Preschool
China
Diagnosis
Disease
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
Female
Hospitals
Humans
Infections
Laboratories
Leprosy
Leprosy - blood
Leprosy - genetics
Leprosy - pathology
Middle Aged
Mycobacterium leprae
Mycobacterium leprae - genetics
Mycobacterium leprae - isolation & purification
Mycobacterium leprae - pathogenicity
Studies
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Summary:Leprosy is the disabling outcome of chronic infection with Mycobacterium leprae. The disease often evades early detection, particularly now that fewer clinicians are able to confidently diagnose the disease following the integration of leprosy control measures within general health services in many countries. Although leprosy is officially eliminated in China, endemic regions remain in some difficult-to-reach, underdeveloped areas in Southwest China. In order to better understand the extent of M. leprae infection and identify new leprosy cases in a timely manner, simple tools that can detect infection and the early disease are required. In this report we evaluated the performance of antigen-specific ELISA, the NDO-LID rapid diagnostic test, and antigen-specific whole blood assays (WBA) as potential diagnostic tools. Our data support the use of antibody detection tests and WBA to facilitate the diagnosis of multibacillary and paucibacillary leprosy, respectively. These tools could be invaluable for increased, but simplified, monitoring of individuals in order to provide referrals for clinical exam and early leprosy diagnosis.
ISSN:2314-6133
2314-6141
DOI:10.1155/2014/371828